Observer States

OSCE-Council of Europe open forum: “Hate speech must be fought without endangering freedom of expression”

[15.09.2010] “The international community must work to identify effective ways to address hate speech on the Internet without endangering freedom of expression”, said Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, at a joint OSCE-Council of Europe open forum on hate speech and freedom of expression at the Internet Governance Forum in Vilnius.

The meeting focused on possible alternatives to relying solely on governmental or legislative approaches to address the problem of hate speech without infringing on freedom of expression and silencing legitimate criticism.

De Boer-Buquicchio said “hate speech is a direct attack on the right to be and to think differently. It might not stop at rhetoric, as it has the potential to shape the minds and attitudes of individuals who will believe they have the right to undermine other people’s rights. A democratic society cannot afford the freedom to oppress. Instead, we have to identify how to strike the adequate balance between rights and freedoms.”

“We have to identify effective ways to address hate speech on the Internet without endangering freedom of expression. I am confident that this impressive group of leading international experts gathered under the umbrella of the OSCE and the Council of Europe will help the international community advance in this field,” said Mijatovic. (more…)